Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a revegetation method for establishing a diverse vegetation community of warm and cool season grasses, forbs and shrubs on reclaimed surface mined lands in a semi-arid climate.
Revegetation of surface mined lands has been somewhat challenging in the semi-arid climate of the Powder River Basin in northeastern Wyoming. Historically, it has been difficult to attain a suitable diversity of warm and cool season grasses, forbs and shrubs. Cool season grasses have often dominated the reclaimed vegetation community. Regulatory requirements and conservation efforts directed to revegetating disturbed lands have been attempted using commercially available native seeding equipment and standard mulching practices of applying two tons/acre of straw/mulch on seeded areas to retain soil moisture and prevent rill and gully erosion. These efforts have not been entirely successful or cost-effective. Improved methods of establishing diverse vegetative communities have been sought along with reduced cost of the revegetation effort. The present invention is directed to improving the establishment of diverse vegetation on reclaimed surface mined lands in semi-arid climates with a successful method described herein.